By Cyrus (@Cyruslassus on Twitter)

My first thought is that the Miami Dolphins have way too many holes to fill on the roster to take a defensive end in the 2014 draft, but what Missouri Tiger Michael Sam has done since August of 2013 has changed my mind.

He came out of the closet to his teammates, had a stellar season with 10 1/2 sacks and 18 tackles for loss, claimed Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors in the SEC and then decided to become the first openly gay major professional athlete in America in the months leading to the NFL draft.

Photo Courtesy of Dolphins.com

The Miami Dolphins have to step up and draft this young man at whichever point his talent merits, as a matter of principle.

Whether he fills an immediate need or not is less important than making a statement to the world.

His draft stock should not drop based on his sexual preference.

If Michael Sam becomes a Hall of Famer, he would be football’s Jackie Robinson. On the other hand, he could end up the answer to a trivia question.

Nobody really knows if his game will translate to the next level, but he physically compares to Olivier Vernon, who has shined at defensive end in Miami.  (continued on page 2, CLICK HERE)